[PGalt]

Good article. Thanks for posting it.

[meenie]

It has been like this for years. This is not a new phenomenum. When I was a broker in the mid-eighties it was well established then. I left the business because of the money laundering mainly but was well aware of the cronyism and trading irregularities. The sad fact is that the markets ceased to be a raiser of moneys for companies and instead has been a casino for quite some time. This is why a rising stock market has nothing to do with the business climate. Businesses ceased to rely on stock markets for support, and rely on the ever increasing debt market. This is one more reason our economy is so fragile.